14 Ways Honey Can Heal

By Vasant Lad, Yoga+

The fossil record tells us honeybees have been around for 150 million years or more. No one knows when we discovered the treasure hidden in their hives, but paintings of beekeepers lining the walls of a cave in Spain prove that we have been practicing the art of beekeeping for at least 7,000 years. Honey is versatile. It has been prized as a sweetener, as medicine, as an offering for the gods, as currency, and as a symbol of love. In Greek mythology, for example, Cupid dips his arrows in honey before aiming them at our hearts.

According to ayurveda, honey is the nectar of life. Because it is created from the essence of a flower’s sex organs, it has a natural affinity with reproductive tissue. It can also heal sore throats, colds, coughs, ulcers, burns, and wounds. And when ingested with a healing herb (like ashwagandha), honey travels to the deepest tissues, transporting the chemical properties and the subtle energies of medicine to the cellular level.

Ayurveda says that raw honey is medicine, but cooked honey is a slow poison. Why? In its natural form, honey is rich in minerals, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and carbohydrates. But heat strips honey of most of its nutritional value and transforms the honey molecules into a non-homogenized glue that adheres to mucous membranes and clogs subtle energy channels. Cooked honey creates cellular toxicity and may lead to immunological dysfunction. It can also clog the arteries and lead to atherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries), hampering blood flow to the vital organs. So as a general rule, honey should never be cooked, and nothing should be cooked with honey. Instead, add raw honey to yogurt, warm tea, or spread it on bread or toast.

These days, most honey sold commercially has been heated and should be avoided. Look for the words “raw” or “unpasteurized” on honey at a health-food store or online at places like the Ayurvedic Institute (www.ayurveda.com) or www.eBeeHoney.com. But the purest form of honey is local and raw because it helps prevent (or calm) seasonal allergies and is full of prana (vital energy). Check your local farmers’ market, and if you live in the country, keep an eye out for roadside honey stands.

Honey, Help Me!
Ayurvedic texts are full of honey-based remedies for a wide range of ailments.

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New G.

11:36AM PST on Dec 21, 2011

Thanks.

send a green star

11:27AM PST on Dec 21, 2011

Michaela G.

11:36AM PST on Dec 17, 2011

I have another one: HONEY MASSAGE!
Actually, this comes from Russia (or so I am told) where people get ooooold before they die.

You can do it on any part of your body, even in bearded faces :-), though, of course, for the back where it is VERY effective, you need a partner.
Apply an appropriate amount - not too much - of honey on the part you want to be treating and then knead it, just like a cat does when she feels really great. Use your whole palms on the bigger parts of your body and fingers for your face. The motion is like "walking with your hands on the spot". If you do this for some time (one "run" takes about 20 minutes) you will notice that the honey gets sticky and crumbly as it absorbs the waste you have been carrying under your skin. If you wear a lot of jeans, don't be surprised if the honey gets a blueish color when you massage your thighs - I have "decolored" more than one lady :-), even those who love black underwear - in which case the honey tends to become VERY dark, and not only on spots usually covered by underwear.
It is great for smokers, cellulite, toxins, colds ... anything you can imagine, actually.

Miki D.

1:51PM PST on Dec 15, 2011

HONEY = the best cure for BURNED SKIN (doesn't matter whether sunburned or burned by hot items - for example in the kitchen). Just apply honey onto the red (burned) skin portion and keep as long as possible. Cover with a thin paper tissue. I always found one application - right after the burn - to be enough.

Tim C.

10:48AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

thanks

Jennifer C.

12:35AM PDT on Aug 4, 2011

Thanks for the great info

Matthew R.

6:41AM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

awesome

Past Member .

6:22PM PDT on Jun 11, 2011

Sweet!